Method of stripping leaves from tobacco stalks



Nov. 29, 1960 J,VF. MCCASHEN 2,962,029

METHOD OF STRIPPING LEAVES FROM TOBACCO STALKS Filed Sept. 29, 1958 0 20J]. J I 37 INVENTOR 2 1/ t J4M$ ,qM awa/ew BY 1/4775 soaezron/ WWW -METHOD OF STRIPPING LEAVES FROM TOBACCO. STALKS James F. McCashen;19030'W'J Lake Road,

Cleveland 16,.0hio

" Filed Sept. 29, 1958, Ser; No.764,179

3 Claims. (Cl. 131-'- -131) This invention isparticularlyconcerned witha new method of. stripping tobacco leaves from'their stalks.

-Heretofore, tobacco. leaves have'beenistripped from forstrippingtobacco leaves from theQstalks vbut so far as I am aware, none of theproposed devices has attained any appreciable commercial success.

a The present invention aims to provide 'a' method of removing tobaccoleaves from their stalks and separating and segregating the leaves andthe. stalks. This method -may :be performed mechanically rapidly andinexpensively.

Briefly described, this method comprises the steps of moving themoistened tobacco stalks with leaves attached in an arcuate path undercentrifugal force, removing substantially all the leaves from the stalkswhile they are so moving, discharging the stalks and leaves from thesaid path, and separating the stalks from the leaves.

The detached stalks with the attached leaves, as they come from thecuring barns are moistened with water to the usual extent required forhand stripping which makes the stalks and leaves soft and pliable.

Then the stalks with leaves attached are subjected to centrifugal forcesufiicient to cause the stalks to move in an arcuate path having ahorizontal axis. The stalks are brought into contact with rapidly movingobstructions which turn the stalks and orient them more or lesslengthwise of the direction of travel and also detach the leaves fromthe stalks. Since the obstructions may also cut the leaves, it ispreferable to rotate the obstructions at a speed not much higher than isrequired to remove the leaves from the stalks for at that speed theobstructions will encounter any leaf the minimum number of times andhence will leave the leaf in the largest sized p1eces.

After the leaves have been detached from the stalks, both continue tomove in the arcuate path until intercepted and discharged laterally fromthe arcuate path. Since the discharge velocity of the stalks and leavesis low and the weights are quite different, the stalks will not travelfar and hence they may be collected adjacent to the arcuate path.However, the leaves, which are light in weight, will travel farther andmay be collected in a pile beyond and separate from the stalks or on aconveyor which can transport them to a place Where they are to besubjected to further treatment.

Apparatus suitable for carrying out the present process is shownsomewhat diagrammatically in the drawings attached to and forming a partof this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is an end view partly in section, showing one form of suchapparatus;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the blade mechanism shown inFigure 1, and

2,962,029 -.Patenl:ed Nov. ,29, 19,60

lCC

.;housing. 1. adapted to .rest on a floor orfother suitable foundation.andhaving a generally cylindrical part 2 provided with parallel,inwardly extending, radially short flanges 3, defining .a horizontal.opening 'therethrough.

.The-housing supports shafts .5-..on which rollers 6 are.mountedin'pairsto support a drum. These shafts are 10 preferablydisposed about .120.- apart and about 60 on either sideof a verticalplanepassing centrally through the housing. 1. :Adrum .comprisingacylinder 10 and flanges. 11, constituting parallel side Wallsat each endof cylinder 10, is disposed in housing 1 withthe cylinder 10 resting=onthe rollers. 6 and with the. flanges 11 ex- -.tending over the inner.edge, and down on the outer sides of, fianges..3:.of housing. 2..Shaft:12- disposed on the vertical center line .of the housing carries .one ora more rollers 13.:whieh .bear onthe outer. surface of cylin- 20-.

-journaled inbearing carried by housing 1 is provided .with one or,-;ifdesired, twopinions- 16 to engage with a-;rack-or:rack s-17.0ntheoutside of. cylinder 10. Shaft 15 may be rotated bymotor 18 housedwithin or carried byhousing 1.

der 10 and hold itdown onto rollers '6. A shaft15 The housing hasbrackets 20 attached thereto in which is journaled a horizontal shaft 21which 'hasa plurality ofllong, thin, narrow-metal bladesa25 attachedthereto and arranged..substantiallyas shownin Figures 1 and 2.

A pulley 26 fastenedto one end-.ofshaftZl is driven by a 'belt 27 whichis driven by a motor 28 resting on the foundation on which housing 1rests. A scraper 30 is supported by a bracket 31 from the housing and isdisposed to intercept the stalks and leaves carried by the drum anddirect them through one end of the drum, as is indicated in Figure 3.

And endless belt 35 extends around rollers 36 carried by suitablesupports 37 and serves to catch leaves discharged from the drum byscraper 30 and transport them away from the apparatus of Figure l.

The present method may be carried out by operating the above describedapparatus substantially as follows.

Motors 18 and 28 are energized and rotate the drum and shaft 21.Preferably, the shaft 21 is rotated at such a speed that the linearvelocity of the blades 25 is considerably greater than the linearvelocity of the cylinder 10. When moistened, soft and pliable tobaccostalks with leaves attached are charged into the drum between flanges 11and in advance of the blades 25 and into engagement with the downwardlymoving part of cylinder 10, the stalks and leaves will be subjected tocentrifugal force and will move clockwise with the drum. As they comeinto contact with the blades 25, each stalk will be struck successivelyby the circumferentially spaced more rapidly rotating blades and will beoriented more or less into parallelism with the direction of travel ofthe cylinder and with the blades. As the blades 25 come into contactwith the leaves, they will sever the leaves from the stalks. Since it isdesirable that the severed leaves should be of the largest possiblesize, the lineal speed of the blades should be such that the blades willstrike a given leaf the minimum number of times consistent with It willbe blades is enough greater than that of the drum to sever the leavesfrom the stalks with a minimum number of contacts with the leaves.

After the leaves have been severed from the stalks and both have passedbeyond blades 25, they continue on their travel in the arcuate pathunder centrifugal force until they are intercepted by scraper 30 and arethereby diverted through the end of the drum. Since the velocity of thestalks and leaves is greatly reduced by the scraper and since the stalksare heavier than the leaves, the stalks will travel only a shortdistance beyond the end of the scraper and may be collected in a pileadjacent to the housing 1. Since the leaves are much lighter than thestalks, their velocity will carry them farther away from the housingandthey may be caught on endless conveyor 35. Thus, the stalks may beseparated from the leaves and collected in one place and the leaves maybe collected in another place. 7

Having thus described this invention in such full, clear, concise andexact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which itpertains to make and use the same, and having set forth the best modecontemplated of carrying out this invention, I state that the subjectmatter which I regard as being my invention is particularly pointed outand distinctly claimed in what is claimed, it being understood thatequivalents or modifications of, or substitutions for, parts of theabove specifically described embodiment of the invention may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in whatis claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of stripping tobacco leaves from their stalks whichcomprises the steps of wetting the stalks and attached leavessufi'icient to make them soft and pliable,

moving the thus moistened stalks and leaves in an arcuate path about asubstantially horizontal axis under centrifugal force and while somoving, orienting the stalks somewhat in parallelism to their directionof travel and detaching the leaves from the stalks and discharging thestalks laterally out of said path.

2. The method of stripping tobacco leaves from their stalks whichcomprises the steps of wetting the stalks and attached leavessufi'icient to make them soft and pliable, moving the thus moistenedstalks and leaves in an arcuate path about a substantially horizontalaxis under centrifugal force and while so moving, bringing the stalksand leaves into contact with rotating blades and thereby detaching theleaves from the stalks and then discharging the stalks and leaveslaterally from said path.

3. The method of stripping tobacco leaves from their stalks whichcomprises the steps of wetting the stalks and attached leaves sufiicientto make them soft and pliable, moving the thus moistened stalks andleaves in an arcuate path about a substantially horizontal axis undercentrifugal force and while so moving, bringing them into contact withrotating blades thereby partly positioning the stalks lengthwise of thedirection of travel and detaching the leaves from the stalks,discharging the stalks and leaves laterally out of the arcuate path andthen at an angle thereto with sutllcient velocity to separate the stalksfrom the leaves and collect separately.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 96,257Muller Oct. 26, 1869 1,219,416 Ryder Mar. 13, 1917 2,667,174 EissmannJan. 26, 1954

